On Equal Grounds
by Lelu
Summary: An alternate reality world (crossover between HYD and SM) where Tsukino Usagi is a (female) member of the F4, Chiba Mamoru is the best friend of Makino Tsukushi, and where secret crushes, desires, and jealousy seem to rule.


5/19/01  
  
"On Equal Grounds"  
HYD/SM Crossover  
Authors: Lelu (leluh40@yahoo.com) and Mizu  
(mizu@wishing-blue.net)  
PG  
  
[Insert Standard Disclaimers]  
  
***  
Chapter One  
  
  
She lifted the designer sunglasses off her face,   
pushing them back to rest on her golden hair.   
Tsukino Usagi, daughter of Tsukino Kenji, President   
of Tsuki Co. which was known throughout the world   
for its priceless pearls, smiled gently. 'So,' she   
thought, blue eyes dancing with excitement, 'this is   
Eitoku High School.' She clasped her hands together,   
the peals from her bracelet catching the light from the   
sun. 'This ought to be interesting.'  
  
"Usagi!" A voice called her name and she turned   
around, taking a step back, finding herself looking   
straight into the eyes of Nishikado Sojiro.   
  
"Hai, Sojiro-kun?"  
  
He tugged playfully at one of her pigtails, winking at   
the same time. "Your hairstyle is so odd, Usagi."  
  
She glared. "Shut up, Sojiro."  
  
Sojiro laughed and stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm   
only kidding … But why were you just standing   
outside of the school?" He motioned towards the   
large building. "It's the first day of school, you might   
get lost if you don't go find your classrooms now."  
  
"I would ask you to show me around, but since   
Tsukasa tells me that you're never in class, I think   
that you'd be just as lost as I might be."  
  
"He's one to talk," Sojiro replied haughtily, rolling   
his eyes. "He's never in class, either!"  
  
"Sojiro! Usagi!" The two turned in unison to watch   
as Domyoji Tsukasa casually strolled down the path,   
stopping to stand next to them, Mimasaka Akira by   
his side. "Ah," Tsukasa said, bopping Usagi's head   
lightly, "the latest member of the F4 arrives!"  
  
"Ne, Tsukasa," Akira said, throwing him a look,   
"wouldn't we be the F5 now?"  
  
Tsukasa's brown eyes narrowed and suddenly, Akira   
found himself on the ground, Tsukasa towering over   
him. "That's what I meant! Don't correct me! You're   
not smart enough to do it! Or rich enough!"  
  
Usagi and Sojiro blanched. Akira levered himself off   
of the ground and brushed off his shirt.   
  
"Just because you happen to have the most money   
out of all of us, Tsukasa, it doesn't give you the right   
to do that," said Hanazawa Rui said in his soft voice,   
walking up to the group. "Your parents may own a   
lot of corporations and such, but we don't fall too far   
behind you."  
  
"Rui!" Usagi ran over to him, forgetting that she was   
in a miniskirt, and hugged him. "You're late!"   
Laughing softly, she asked, "Did you forget to set up   
your alarm clock again?"  
  
He looked down at her. "Why aren't you in the   
Eitoku girl's uniform?"  
  
"My family donated a ward, baka. I don't have to be,   
and besides, I'm the 5th member of the F5!" Usagi   
detached herself from him, looking proud. "Demo …   
I'm still kind of worried, guys," she added, biting her   
bottom lip.  
  
"Why?" asked Sojiro.  
  
"Because…" she looked down at her hands, wringing   
them together. "You guys know that I've been friends   
with you since we were young children; after all, I   
was brought up in the same types of family as you,   
and I'm just a year younger than Tsukasa, 2 years   
after you three. And I know that you know that we're   
friends, but I've just been attending private schools   
for girls since I was young, so no one else will know   
why I'm hanging out with you… or why, for that   
matter, I've suddenly been accepted into your little   
group." She sighed, looking up at the blue sky. "I'm   
just worried for my reputation and everything."  
  
Tsukasa clenched his fists. "Don't worry, Usagi. We   
won't let anyone talk about you like…that. And if   
they do, all we do in return is red card them. That is   
their punishment."  
  
Usagi sighed, large blue eyes downcast. "But I don't   
want them to get in trouble, Tsukasa, just because   
they don't know about me."  
  
"But then," Rui broke in, running fingers through his   
light brown hair, "why should they say anything   
damaging about you if they don't know you in the   
first place? And who you really are?"  
  
Akira and Sojiro both nodded. "Tsukasa and Rui are   
right, Usagi-chan," Akira said, grabbing Usagi's   
hand, a show of affection shining through. "The other   
students have no right to say anything. When they   
learn that you are a part of us, of our lives, they'll   
know not to mess with you."  
  
A bird cheeped overhead.  
  
"Un!" Usagi smiled beautifully, squeezing Akira's   
hand before letting it go. "You're right!" She looked   
up at the building, noticing the time. "If we don't go   
in soon, we'll be late!" She blinked in surprise as all   
the boys began to laugh. "Nani?"  
  
"Usagi-chan … we don't go to class, remember?"  
  
Blond hairs stuck up on all ends. "Not even on the   
first day of school?"  
  
Sojiro kept laughing through his answer. "Not even   
then."  
  
~  
  
Whispers of, "Who is she?" and "Why is she such a   
good friend of our F4?" continued to circulate around   
the building, until Makino Tsukushi felt like   
screaming out loud.   
  
"What's wrong, Tsukushi-chan?"  
  
Tsukushi looked up into the dark blue eyes of her   
best friend, Chiba Mamoru. Dark black hair fell into   
his eyes, and she sighed as she reached up and   
brushed away his bangs, still slightly annoyed. "You   
need to get those trimmed, Mamoru."   
  
He sighed. "You've been telling me that ever since   
the first day we met, Tsukushi…"  
  
Tsukushi stuck out her tongue, slapping him on the   
head very roughly.  
  
"And you've been doing that since the very first day   
we met, too!" He winced slightly. "Except it was a   
textbook that hit me in the head!"  
  
A fiery blush covered Tsukushi's face. "I swear,   
Mamoru, that it was an accident! It was icy, and I   
slipped, and the book flew out of my hands! And   
besides! That was over two years ago, and I don't see   
why you should bring up the past!"  
  
"And I still swear that you were upset by the low   
grade you received in that subject, so you, without   
thinking, just threw the book over your head!" He   
glared back, just as ferociously as Tsukushi was   
glaring at him. Suddenly, the look slid off of his face,   
and a boyish grin replaced it. Hugging Tsukushi, he   
said in a voice that was sincere, "I'm so glad that you   
made it into Eitoku! My first and second years here   
were so lonely without having any friends." He   
pulled back and grinned at her again, making her   
sweatdrop. "You'll have fun here, I promise!"   
  
Tsukushi looked around. "Mamoru, let go of me!   
People are starting to look and wonder!"  
  
He took a few steps back, allowing Tsukushi some   
space. "If the other students are saying anything, it's   
probably because of the newest addition to the F4."  
  
Puzzlement filled Tsukushi's brown eyes. "'F4'?   
Who are they? And yes, that's the reason as to why I   
was so annoyed before. All I've been hearing so far   
today is this talk about a certain girl who's joined this   
school… What's her name…?" She stared off into   
space. "Kino…Minako…Tsukino!" She clapped her   
hands together. "That's it! 'Tsukino' something."  
  
"'Usagi,'" Mamoru supplied helpfully. "Tsukino   
Usagi. And I can't believe that I never told you who   
the F4… F5 are," he said, correcting himself.   
Mumbling, he said, "It's going to be hard of getting   
used to the concept of having a girl in the F5… and   
the new name, too." He shrugged.  
  
Tsukushi hit him to get his attention. "Tell me about   
them, Mamoru! Who are they?"  
  
He rolled his eyes, threading his fingers through his   
hair, causing girls to swoon around him. "Why are   
you always beating me up?"  
  
"Why are you always attracting girls? No answer,   
right? It's just one of those things that just happen,"   
she shot back while straightening her yellow blazer.  
  
"Yellow isn't your color, you know," he said   
sarcastically.  
  
"Well it isn't yours, either! Now tell me about the   
F5!"  
  
The bell rang, indicating that break was over. Slowly,   
the crowds of students began to dissipate, and   
Mamoru turned, saying over his shoulder, "Ja,   
Tsukushi! If I don't go now, I'll be late- I'll tell you   
about them later!" He walked away, whistling   
cheerily, yellow blazer hooked on his index finger.  
  
She glared daggers at his retreating back. 'He always   
does this to me,' she thought angrily. 'Leaving me on   
a cliffhanger when I really want to know something!'   
She headed towards the stars, scowling at the   
ground… and then she bumped into somebody. "Oh,   
gomen!" she cried out, watching in horror as the   
figure rolled down… and down… and down…   
"…the stairs!" Tsukushi rushed down the steps, to the   
figure. "Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai!" She reached   
out for the figure's hand, ready to help the   
person…but dropped the hand just as quickly to   
scratch her head.  
  
"Why aren't you wearing Eitoku's uniform?" she   
asked, confused.  
  
The figure began to stir, brown eyes popping open,   
glaring. Slowly he stood up, and Tsukushi took a few   
steps back, intimidated by his height and by his eyes.   
  
Curly brown hair fell over brown eyes that were   
sparking dangerously. "Don't you know who I am?"  
  
Tsukushi tilted her head. "Should I know?"  
  
That question seemed to incense his anger. "You dare   
to speak to me like that?"  
  
"Ne!" Tsukushi clenched her fists. "What the hell is   
your problem? I already apologized for running into   
you. You don't have to be so uptight!"  
  
Suddenly, 3 more boys appeared by his side, none of   
them wearing the school uniforms. 'Nani?' she   
thought. 'What is going on?' Her eyes widened.   
'Could this possibly be…'  
  
The boy with the curly hair laughed loudly, mocking   
her. "Rui, Sojiro, Akira… this girl doesn't know who   
I am! I'll bet that she doesn't know who you are,   
either." When Tsukushi's face remained blank, he   
laughed again. "You see?"  
  
"Who the hell are you?" she snapped at him.  
  
"Tsukushi-chan!"   
  
She spun around, watching as Mamoru rushed down   
the stairs towards her, a worried look on his face.   
When he reached her side, he whispered to her,   
"What are you doing?"  
  
Tsukushi raised her voice when she responded,   
purposely allowing the other boys to listen in. "I have   
no clue! I accidentally ran into this idiot over here,   
and he fell down the stairs. I apologized, but he's   
being stupid!"  
  
Mamoru's jaw dropped, but he quickly shut it.   
"Tsukushi…remember when I was talking about the   
F5?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"That's them, minus the girl!"  
  
"So?"  
  
Tsukasa stepped forward. "'So?'" he jeered. "That's   
all you have to say? To us?" He took another step   
towards her, the tick in his head jerking violently.  
  
Mamoru stepped in front of Tsukushi, face to face   
with Domyoji. "I apologize on her behalf, Domyoji.   
She's new here, and she doesn't know any better."  
  
Domyoji shoved Mamoru aside roughly. "Get out of   
my way," he said, voice low and dangerous.  
  
"You have no right to talk to him like that!" Tsukushi   
yelled at him, unaware of the growing crowd who   
had come to watch.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Domyoji turned around to face Mamoru   
again and raised his fist. "Watch this." He let his fist   
fly… and was surprised when Mamoru ducked the   
punch and threw back a hit of his own, punching him   
squarely in the stomach.  
  
"Matte."   
  
All heads turned towards the soft but strong voice.  
  
A girl began to walk down the steps, Mamoru's eyes   
widened. 'Could it be…?'  
  
Blond hair tied up in two strange-looking hairdo, soft   
blue miniskirt, white-button-down collared shirt. She   
was not in a uniform…  
  
Usagi reached the bottom of the steps and walked to   
the side where the other members of the F5, except   
Domyoji, were standing. "Allow me to introduce   
myself," she said, blue eyes dancing with mischief.   
"My name is Tsukino Usagi, and I suppose that the   
rest of you also know me as the fifth member of the   
F5." She began to twirl a strand of hair as she paced   
back and forth. "Like the rest of the F5 members, I   
am entitled to certain privileges, because I am like   
them in almost every way… except a few," she   
added, suppressing a grin, "which is why the rest of   
you see me differently. However, one way in which I   
am most unlike them is because I don't like   
violence." Usagi walked over to the fallen Tsukasa,   
offering him her hand which he took, helping him   
stand up.  
  
"Domyoji." The demand in her voice made his head   
snap to look away from Tsukushi and at her. "You   
will apologize at once to these two people."  
  
The whole crowd gasped. It was impossible; this   
mere slip of a girl commanding the head of previous   
F4 around?  
  
"Usagi …" Tsukasa's voice carried a hint of steel   
underneath.  
  
"Tsukasa, I won't let you bully them around for   
something that wasn't their fault." She crossed her   
arms over her chest, trying to look like the   
disapproving mother and was succeeding very well at   
it.  
  
"No."  
  
Her answer came quickly. "I'll tell Tsubaki."  
  
Tsukasa's dark eyebrows raised until it hit his   
hairline, his body beginning to shake. Grabbing   
Usagi's arm and pulling her away he whispered,   
"You aren't serious, are you?"  
  
"Go ahead and try me, Tsukasa." The challenge was   
unyielding and the tick in his forehead was growing   
larger.  
  
"I refuse, Usagi, to be bossed around by you, no   
matter what you threaten," he spat furiously. "And I   
refuse to apologize to these bombi people!" He   
turned around and stormed away, but not without   
issuing a threat over his shoulder. "I'll get you guys   
later, you better watch out. No one hits Domyoji   
Tsukasa and gets away with it."  
  
And with that final threat, he disappeared from sight,   
the other male members of the F5 walking away with   
him, leaving Usagi alone. Her eyes rested on the   
crowd of students who had been watching the whole   
scene.   
  
"Why are you watching? This is none of your   
business. Go away, now!" she commanded in a tone   
that sounded very regal. When no one moved, blue   
eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't make me call   
them back."  
  
And suddenly, everyone was gone, save Tsukushi,   
Mamoru, and Usagi.  
  
Usagi flipped one long pigtail over her shoulder,   
walked by Mamoru, and paused. "I'm so sorry about   
this," she said cheerily, not sounding a bit sorry at all.   
Grinning a little, she continued. "But I'm glad you hit   
him when you did. He needs to be taught a little   
about self-control sometimes." Placing her hand on   
his shoulder, she smiled gently at him. "And that was   
a nice punch, too …" she trailed off, not knowing his   
name.  
  
"Chiba Mamoru," he said, blushing a little at the   
beautiful girl.  
  
"Nice to meet you then, Mamoru." Usagi threw a   
quick look at Tsukushi. "And you are?"  
  
"Makino Tsukushi."  
  
Usagi nodded. "I'm sorry for the trouble he caused   
for you, too. If he does anything, be sure to let me   
know?"  
  
It was an order and a request. Tsukushi could do   
nothing but stare dumbly at the kind girl who was a   
part of the elite F5.  
  
"Then I'll see you around. Ja matta ne!" She winked   
quickly at Mamoru and walked away.  
  
Mamoru stared at her retreating form, an odd light   
look in his normally dark blue eyes.  
  
Tsukushi watched him, arms crossed, brown eyes   
narrowed with interest. 'Well now, Mamoru…   
What's going on here?'  
  
He blinked, shaking himself free of his strange   
dream-like reverie. His lips quirked up in a wry grin,   
as he swiveled and tugged Tsukushi toward the   
stairwells. "Nothing," he remarked quietly, as he   
quickly changed the topic to something more suitable   
to their situation.   
  
"Nothing?" Tsukushi raised her eyebrows   
questioningly, trying to prompt the desired response   
to quell her suspicions. "At all?" She drawled,   
following his lead. Class was about to start, as most   
students went to their appointed classes dutifully in a   
flurry of cream yellow blazers.   
  
Mamoru grinned in response. "Nope."   
  
~  
  
The generic after-school afternoon settled upon   
Eitoku, the warm sunshine bathing the departing   
students amidst the bright chirping of spring orioles   
overhead. The beginning of the school year was   
looking bright indeed.   
  
Mamoru found himself bogged down with the pile of   
textbooks in his black shoulder bag. Since he, unlike   
the others, could not afford to buy expensive   
textbooks to throw away at whim during the end of   
the school term, he borrowed them exclusively from   
the library. Tsukushi followed his example as well.   
The only drawback to this was that he needed to   
carry his books upon his arrival and departure of   
Eitoku. The burden was well worth it, instead of   
paying extraordinary amounts for textbooks with   
bright photos and little content.   
  
His eyes followed the flock of expensive cars parked   
out on the street, waiting to pick up their precious   
cargo. He walked passed all of them, brushing past   
the occasional haughty student who claimed the   
sidewalk to be of their property.   
  
Something very shiny and very gold caught his eye.   
It lie on the ground like a useless piece of crumpled   
chocolate foil. Gingerly, he bent down, careful not to   
scrape his knee on the rough sidewalk. His fingers   
caught hold of a simple gold chain, in which there   
were engravings inside a metal plate. Further   
examination on his behalf showed that the careful   
Japanese scripting read, "Usagi." A pearl was   
embedded in the tiny clasp of the chain, giving it an   
elegant effect.   
  
Mamoru's head shot among the roving student   
bodies, trying to catch sight of the bracelet's owner.   
  
"There." He whispered, taking a purpose-filled   
stance toward the blond stepping into sleek black   
limousine. He darted forward, almost immediately,   
crying for the uniformed chauffeur to halt. His hails   
were dismissed however, and were left to drown   
amongst other voices.   
  
He stared down at his hand, the bracelet gracefully   
sprawled across his cupped palm. It gleamed prettily   
in the sunlight, before he shoved it into his blazer   
pocket.   
  
~  
  
He strolled home, unsure of what to make of the lost   
bracelet. Of course, he'd return it to its proper   
owner, but would he be accused of some sort of   
atrocious crime? The bracelet seemed important, or a   
trinket that Usagi would cherish. Would she accuse   
him of stealing it?   
  
He debated with himself on the walk to the café.   
Tsukushi said that she'd meet him at the café as soon   
as she finished her shift. He still had some time to   
mull over the events that had just occurred and the   
events that *may* occur in the not to distant future.   
  
Suddenly stopping dead in his tracks, he turned to the   
giant fortress of a house to his left, adorned in pale,   
burned bricks and clear shutter windows. Mamoru   
squinted at the vehicles parked in the large semi   
circle that served as a temporary parking space.   
  
"Lo and behold," he murmured. "Milady's chariot."   
His hand instantly thrust into his pockets, finding the   
thin gold chain mold to his wiggling fingers.   
  
He slipped through the open gates, fingering the   
black-tinted bars carefully as if they were fragile.   
Taking one cautious step in front of the other, he   
finally made his way across the cobble-stoned path to   
the massive house. He climbed the white stairs   
almost daintily to avoid making heavy black spots   
with his shoes on the surfaces.   
  
He inhaled and exhaled sharply, fingering the   
bracelet for luck. He rang the doorbell.   
  
A set of chimes echoed pleasantly through the   
mansion, muffled by the grand hard wood door and   
insulation. Seconds later, the door was open a crack,   
and the downy-hair of an elderly butler poked his   
head through the opening.   
  
"May I help you sir?" He asked cordially, voice   
thickly accented.   
  
'He must be a foreigner,' Mamoru pondered idly,   
presenting himself with a professional smile. "Hello,   
I'm Chiba Mamoru, a classmate of Usagi's at Eitoku.   
I have something that belongs to her. If you'd allow   
me to, could I come in? I need to speak with her as   
well."   
  
The elderly butler eyed him warily, one busy   
eyebrow twitching upwards in response.   
Hesitatingly, he shut the door to undo the brass chain   
lock, and allowed Mamoru admission to the stately   
house.   
  
Mamoru swiveled around in awe, while absently   
wiping his feet on the doormat. The house was huge!   
Much larger than the exterior permitted the regular   
pedestrian to think it was. A grand, spiraling   
stairway stood in the middle of the view, about his   
apartment's width away from him. Shafts of light   
filtered in from the skylights above, casting their   
natural rays upon the hardwood floor like spotlights   
onstage. Beyond the lines of columns and flower   
arrangements in the hallways was the distinct   
twinkling of what only could be a crystal chandelier.   
  
The butler cleared his throat in a mechanical fashion,   
as if he had decades of practice of grasping other   
people's attention. "If you will sir, this way." He   
began to lead Mamoru over the spotless floors. The   
floorboards didn't even creak under his feet.   
  
Mamoru followed the butler obediently, drinking in   
the lovely architecture and tasteful designs on odd bit   
of furniture strewn here and there to fill the space.   
They finally stopped on the seventh door from the   
drawing room, within the right hallway. The butler   
cleared his voice again and knocked perfunctorily on   
the door.  
  
"A Chiba Mamoru here to see you, miss," he   
announced in a regal voice, acting like the perfect   
herald. Mamoru could almost feel the hesitation   
from within the room, until finally, a perplexed voice   
answered the butler's hail.   
  
"Bring him in, Will," A soft voice replied, slightly   
subdued by the closed doors. Butler Will allowed   
him to enter in, quietly closing the French doors   
behind him.   
  
Usagi was seated in an armchair, a blanket upon her   
knees. She rose to greet Mamoru, smoothing out the   
wrinkles from her dress as she did so. She must have   
changed from the outfit she was wearing at school   
this afternoon. She gave him a pleasant smile,   
nothing more than a simple act called for by the   
procedures of etiquette.   
  
"You wanted to talk to me, Chiba-san?" She lapsed   
into a more formal address. She stared quizzically at   
Mamoru, expecting him to answer her question   
without restraints.   
  
Despite the fact that the smile was no more than a   
diplomatic protocol, he found that he had lost the   
initial speech that he had prepared upon the entrance   
of the Tsukino estates. Either way, he found himself   
pausing awkwardly, prolonging the silence.   
  
"Mamoru?" Usagi inquired questioningly. "Is there   
something wrong?" General concern appeared on her   
lovely face.   
  
Mamoru, on the other hand, snapped out of his   
daydream abruptly. "Iie, nothing." He slipped a   
hand into his coat pocket, feeling the bracelet slip   
through his fingers as he remembered why he came   
to the Tsukino residences in the first place.   
  
"You dropped something this afternoon," he   
remarked almost casually, fishing in his pocket for   
the bauble. Her quizzical expression deepened   
slightly, but softened as he drew the bracelet from its   
hiding place in his uniform pocket.  
  
"Your bracelet," he prompted, handing the simple   
jewelry to her. "I found it after school, but couldn't   
catch up with you before you drove off in your limo,"   
he commented sheepishly. He grinned boyishly,   
suddenly bashful, "It had your name engraved on it   
and it seemed something that was important to you."   
  
To his surprise, she began to chuckle. Her voice was   
like the clear chortling of a brook, seeming as natural   
as any creation of Mother Nature could be.   
  
"Is there…something wrong?" Mamoru's brow drew   
together in question at her odd behavior. The   
bracelet threatened to slip between his grasp, as fickle   
as quicksilver.   
  
She smiled pleasantly again, this time, a touch of   
genuine laughter within her eyes. "No, I'm all right.   
Really," she gestured to the bracelet. "It was sweet   
of you to bring that to me." She paused, sitting down   
on the armchair. "I can always replace it," she   
smiled. "Tell you what, since you found it, you can   
keep it," she stated with a tone of finality, leaving no   
room for question. "Finders, keepers, Mamoru," she   
murmured softly, pulling the blanket that was   
previously draped over the armrest to cover her legs.   
Mamoru's invitation had just expired.   
  
Stiffly, he murmured a quiet 'Sayonara', and opened   
the door to find the butler standing serenely in front   
of him, as if he were waiting for Mamoru all this   
time. He was led to the exit as quickly as he was led   
within.   
  
Exiting the estates, Mamoru muttered quietly under   
his breath. She was like the rest of them, a person   
with no respect for resources. Everything seemed so   
material to her! Despite the fact that his internal   
dilemma was based solely on Usagi rejecting his   
help, he couldn't help but to categorize her into the   
social bracket which the rest of the F4, and   
eventually the students of Eitoku themselves, were   
placed within. These people had no respect for the   
hard work that goes into little things that they took   
for granted. It figures why she was included in the   
F4 to begin with.   
  
He paused, realizing that the bracelet was still within   
his grasp. He stared at it for a few moments before   
promptly thrusting it back into the hidden depths of   
his pocket. Step after irritated step, he released his   
peeves and anger and returned home to his tattered,   
borrowed books and cramped desk.   
  
~  
  
"So, where'd you go yesterday after school?"   
Tsukushi chirped. "You were supposed to meet me   
after my shift to help me with the homework."   
  
When Tsukushi received no response, she threw a   
crumpled piece of scrap paper at him. It hit him   
squarely on the top of his head before bouncing off   
his nose and descend to the floor. He scowled at her.  
"Tsukushi!" He rubbed his nose automatically to   
check for possible injuries along the lines of paper   
cuts.   
  
"Hai?" She answered sweetly, tapping the eraser end   
of her pencil on the desk rapidly, just to agitate   
Mamoru.   
  
'Serves him right for ditching me,' she thought   
inwardly, presenting Mamoru with a sweet, sweet   
smile. Tsukushi's charm held no effect on Mamoru,   
except to annoy him further, which was exactly the   
response that she sought.   
  
"You know, you _were_ supposed to meet me, and I   
_was_ waiting for you," she answered warmly. 'Pour   
on the guilt,' she cackled to herself.   
  
A faint, red discoloration appeared on Mamoru's   
cheeks. It was as much of a blush as she was going   
to get from him this morning.   
  
"Gomen ne," he answered, looking down. He   
refused to meet her eyes. "I-I went home."   
  
"You went home?" Tsukushi repeated mechanically.   
Surely, there was more to his absence than _that._   
She gave him a penetrating stare.   
  
"All right!" He said, intimidated—not that he would   
admit that Tsukushi sometimes intimidated him. "I   
went to…" His voice trailed into an incoherent   
mumble.  
  
"Where?" She prompted automatically.  
  
"To visit someone," he replied slowly.  
  
"Who?" She raised an eyebrow at him, intrigued.   
  
"A friend," he winced.  
  
"Why?" Her voice increased in volume.   
  
"To return something." He began mumbling again.  
  
"Return what?" She eyed him narrowly, giving him   
another one of her penetrating stares. 'Hopefully,   
it'll tip his glass and make it spill.'   
  
"Quit it Tsukushi!"   
  
'Oops. Wrong glass.'   
  
"Okay, okay," Tsukushi raised her hands in mock   
surrender in front of him. "You win the battle…"   
She gathered her books with one arm, and her book   
bag with the other, swinging it effectively on her   
shoulder. Before she left to turn around the corridor,   
she eyed him mischievously, a wicked grin upon her   
lips. "But not the war." With that, she winked   
cheerfully, leaving Mamoru to mull over her   
interrogative questions.   
  
Perhaps he should have told Tsukushi, but it was a   
minor detail, really. He shouldn't have even been   
concerned about these particular issues. However, it   
was something that seemed so angelic, so ethereal, so   
kind about Usagi that left no room for flaws within   
his mind, even if they were minor ones. But then   
again, who was he to judge others? Perhaps he was   
just being silly and biased by pointing fingers at   
unsuspecting fools, thus, degrading himself to their   
level of morality. Perhaps.   
  
***   
  
  
_Extremely_ long AN's:  
  
Lelu- Hi there! Mizu and I have joined forces and   
brought this lovely piece of fanfiction to your   
inboxes. We've been working hard on it, and through   
the tangled mess that we like to call a "plot", we have   
come up with a story that will, we hope, knock your   
socks off. Just hang on for the ride… :)  
  
Mizu- Hello minna-san! And how are you this   
lovely spring day? Anyway, this is my first bit of   
fiction with Lelu. Just to clear up some confusion,   
the significance of Usagi refusing her lost bracelet   
was simple. It bothered Mamoru because it seemed   
like she was patronizing him indirectly. It also   
bothered him that she didn't accept his help in the   
return of the bracelet, thus upsetting him. Oh, and   
one more thing, the HYD cast plays an equally large   
part in this as the SM casting characters do. I had to   
start somewhere. ;-)   
  
E-mail! E-mail! :)  
  
leluh40@yahoo.com  
mizu@wishing-blue.net  
  
(Oh, and those of you on the HYDML who are wondering:  
Koirui and Koi were myself and Mizu in hiding. ^_~ ) 


End file.
